Gerhard Meissner

HONORS & AWARDS

NIH MERIT Award: 2010

Fellow of the Biophysical Society: 1999

NIH MERIT Award: 1990

Established Investigator of American Heart Association: 1972

RESEARCH SUMMARY

The laboratory’s research focuses on defining the molecular basis of Ca2+ release channel/ryanodine receptor (RyR1) function in skeletal muscle. RyR1s are 2,200 kDa ion channels that release Ca2+ ions in response to an action potential from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, an intracellular Ca2+-storing compartment in skeletal muscle. In our studies, we use mutagenesis, Ca2+ imaging and single channel measurements to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying RyR1 function. As our studies progress we expect to gain new insights in the complex mechanisms of RyR1 channel ion conductance and selectivity, and gating by its multiple ligands, and how these processes are altered by mutations in RyR1 linked to muscle diseases such as central core disease and malignant hyperthermia.